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Blue Jays’ Brett Lawrie moving to second base?

Lawrie has been playing second for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, raising speculation that GM Alex Anthopoulos is looking to acquire another player to man the hot corner.

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie, seen here diving for the ball at the hot corner off the bat of Tampa Bay Rays Evan Longoria, is playing second base while with Buffalo sparking speculation on the future of the infielder. (David Cooper / Toronto Star file photo)

The Blue Jays are continuing to experiment with playing Brett Lawrie at second base, raising speculation that GM Alex Anthopoulos is looking to acquire a third baseman in advance of Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline on July 31.

Jays manager John Gibbons said Wednesday no deal is imminent and he refused to say definitively that Lawrie will be the club’s second baseman when he returns from his minor-league rehab assignment, likely after next week’s all-star break.

Lawrie, 23, is working his way back to the big leagues after suffering a high ankle sprain on May 28. Playing second for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Tuesday he went 2-for-4 with a home run.

“Loved playin some 2 bag last night, feel comfortable every time out there, brings me back to my first 2 seasons over there #Deuces,” Lawrie tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

He was in the lineup at second base again on Wednesday.

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“(Lawrie)’s a really good third baseman, (but) he could add a ton of range up there at second base,” Gibbons told reporters before Wednesday’s game in Cleveland. “You look at the range factor and things like that; it might be a nice combo with him and Jose (Reyes) up the middle for a few years.”

While it may be tantalizing to consider the prospect of a Lawrie-Reyes double-play combo, it’s difficult to take Gibbons at face value when he suggests the club might be better off with Lawrie up the middle while using a combination of Mark DeRosa and Maicer Izturis at the hot corner.

Lawrie, among the best defensive third basemen in the majors, began his minor-league career at second but has never played a big-league inning there. Izturis and DeRosa, meanwhile, are strongest at second.

The only logical reason for moving Lawrie to the other side of the infield would be either to make room for another third baseman or to make the hobbled Melky Cabrera the designated hitter and have Edwin Encarnacion play third to ensure that Cabrera’s, Encarnacion’s and Adam Lind’s bats stay in the lineup without having the defensively liable Cabrera in left field.

But Gibbons said Wednesday that Encarnacion is unlikely to start many games at third base and that a DeRosa-Izturis combo is most likely. While Jose Bautista can play third in a pinch, he has made clear his preference to stay in right field.

One potential trade target for the Jays could be San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley, who is struggling this season but enjoyed a breakout 2012 campaign in which he hit 31 home runs while posting a .376 on-base percentage. Headley, who is earning $8.6 million (U.S.) this season, is arbitration eligible next year and a free agent in 2015.

This isn’t the first time the Jays have experimented with moving Lawrie to second base, a persistent weak spot for the club.

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